The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-04-16
THE FlsHERIEs QUESTION.
Speech In the Dominion House of
Commons on the Subject

OTTAWA. April 16.-In the House of Com
mons this afternoon, Dr. Weldon, member
or Albert, N. B., and lately professor of
co,,. titutional law at Dalhousie College, in
secending tae address in reply to the Gov
ernor Generals speech, devoted himself al
most exclusively to the fisheries question.
He said it was quite satisfactory to learn
that the resources of diplomacy had not yet
been exhausted In regard to this question.
Whatever Canada's rights were on this
question they rested on the treaty of London
of 1918. They were not determined by any
earlier treaty, they were not determined by
any rule of public law, and If the treaty
was clear Canada's rights and duty were
clear. If the convention Of 1918 had been
drafted by an officer Of the fisheries depart
ment Of Canada he did not know that the
treaty could have been more suitably drawn
up if the intention had been to protect our
fishing rights. The people Of the United
States had complained that Canada had
been harsh and niggardly in her interpreta-
tion Of the treaty, but no two interpretations
treaty were clear, and when the Dominion
said ''We rest on our simple rights under
that treaty." it was not fair for the people
of the United States to say, "Oh, oh, but we
are sixty millions Of people," If the people
of Canada were disposed to reflect on the
way her neighbors had construed her treaty
rights it could be shown with regard to a
treaty still more recent than that of the
London, viz, the Washington treaty how
narrow they had been in their construction
Of it,, [Applause:l The Washington treaty
stipulated that the canned products of the
Canada fisheries could be imported into the
United States free of duty, yet within five
years Congress has enacted duty of 125 per
cent ON the cans in which the fish were put
up. Another section Of the treaty guaran-
teed the free importation for twelve years of
fsh oil, but the American customs depart
ment Enled that seal oil was not fish oil, and
Canadian and Newfoundland seal oil was de-
barred.
LIN connection with the recent dispute
there had been no desire on the part of Cam
ada to harass American fishermen, yet when
Canadians came TO examine the treaty and
noticed the clearness Of its provisions they
were bound to remember that, although
sixty millions Of people to the south were
conscious Of their strength, five millions of
Canadians to the north were conscious of
their rights. [Applause.] The Canadians
and the Americans were children of two
great historic races in the Old World who
were not accustomed ito abate one jot
or little OF their rights. lApplauSe.l The
hopes OF Canada that satisfactory arrange
ments would be arrived at rested not alone
on her rights, not alone on the military
strength of the empire of which she formed
part, but largely on the strong common
sense and fair mindedness Of the great body
OF the American people, and when the
Americans studied the question in fair
minded spirit they must agree that Canada
was in the right. [Applausel
Mr.. Blake, the leader of opposition, after
touching on various matters in the Governor
Generals speech, said he agreed largely
with the view expressed by DIR. Weldon.
He regretted, however, THAT during the time
the negotiations were going on the Canadian
House OF Commons had been furnished with
little information. State papers on the
question had been presented to the Imperial
Parliament and to Congress, and he hoped
the promise in the Governor Generals
speech for further, papers would be, re-
deemed at an early day. That paragraph in
the speech did not afford much encourage
ment of an early settlement, and even il the
negotiations now in progress were COM
pleted to the satisfaction of both countries.
the arrangement agreed upon would have to
be ratified by Congress, and it was Just pos
sible that in the temper of the people the
approval of Congress might not be secured,
In this connection Mr.. Blake alluded TO the
feeling of hostility to Great Britain engen-
dered among the Irish Americans owing to
the recently proposed coercion legislation in
the Imperial Parliament.
Sir John Macdonald said he could only re-
iterate the hope that an arrangement honor
able to both sides would be reached. He
concurred in the view just expressed, that
even an arrangement between the two exec
utives might be rejected by Congress- The
Premier then took up other topics mentioned
In the speech from the throne.